Menu
Home>Levelset Community>Legal Help>I am the homeowner and feel cheated

I am the homeowner and feel cheated

New JerseyPayment Disputes

Water extraction was provided by a restoration service, by removing a few gallons of water from a house drain trap. The house drain trap is similar to a sump pump cavity, but is rectangular, and is about 12" by 25" by 18" deep and not sealed as it's beneath basement floor level. The plumber needed to access the sewer plug located at the bottom of the cavity, and requested the restoration service to remove the standing water. After the standing water was removed, more equipment was brought in. My guess is, the restoration company saw $$$ opportunity with homeowners insurance, by padding the bill to the tune of over $3000. They brought in fans, dehumidifier, air cleaner, and listed cleaning and other services which were clearly not provided and not needed. This would be analogous to having a few gallons of water in the bathtub, and the solution to removing the few drops of water would be to use expensive equipment over the course of several days, to dry the last few drops of remaining moisture in the bathtub. Of course we are disputing the invoice. What's our best option as homeowners ?

1 reply

Mar 30, 2020
The first step when disputing an invoice will usually be to gather all relevant project documentation. This includes the contract for work, estimates, photographs of the work, communications (texts, emails, voicemails, etc.) and any other documents exchanged. Further, getting a statement from the plumber about what work was needed and expected might be useful, too. With all of that information in hand, it should be easier to show if the current invoice is dramatically overstated. And, if it was, having a mountain of documentation proving the invoice is bogus could help to force a would-be claimant to rethink their position. However, before a claim for payment has actually been initiated, it will be hard to preemptively defend against the claim - whether that be a lawsuit, lien, or other claims. But, being overly prepared for what's to come can't hurt. And, even going on the offensive with something like an attorney demand letter might be helpful, too. In the spirit of preparedness, these resources may be valuable: (1) I Just Received a Notice of Intent to Lien – What Should I Do Now?; and (2) A Mechanics Lien Was Filed on My Property – What Do I Do Now?
0 people found this helpful
Helpful